Tarrant County commissioners couldn’t agree on a list of early voting sites after a debate over polling places at colleges, and whether the county should make it easier for students to vote.
On Tuesday, County Election Administrator Clint Ludwig brought commissioners a list of proposed polling places for their approval. Republican County Judge Tim O’Hare questioned some of the early voting locations at colleges.
He asked Ludwig why the county has some sites so close together, pointing to UT Arlington and the Arlington Subcourthouse.
"I believe having UTA and Arlington Subcourthouse less than a mile from each other is a waste of money and manpower," O’Hare said.
Ludwig explained those locations are close together because of demand. UTA is one of the county’s busiest polling locations, he said.
O’Hare then questioned the accessibility of some campus voting locations, like TCU, where he said voters must get parking permits.
There is no permit requirement at TCU, Ludwig said. The university sets aside free parking spots for voters. He added he doesn't know of any polling locations that require paid parking, except for one that offers validation.
The county adopted college polling locations for the 2020 elections to make voting easier for students, Democratic County Commissioner Roy Charles Brooks explained.
"To eliminate them, I think, would be an act of voter suppression,” he said.
O’Hare denied he was trying to eliminate college polling sites. He also bristled at the idea some voting locations are designed to cater to certain people. It’s not the job of the Commissioners Court “to go make sure we get more of this group to vote or more of that group to vote,” he said.
"That doesn't seem like the right way to run an election. That seems like it's trying to favor one group over another. Not voter suppression," O'Hare said.
“It's not trying to favor one group over another. It's trying to make it easier for people to vote," Brooks said. “That is the job of this Commissioners Court, to make it easier for everyone to vote.”
The number of early voting locations has not kept up with population growth and demand, Ludwig told commissioners. It's hard to find locations that want to be open for 12 days of early voting.
The proposed list had 50 early voting sites, eight of them at colleges. When O’Hare asked how many early voting locations the county needs, Ludwig answered 60 or 70, but ideally, “as many as we can get.”
Commissioners did not approve the list of early voting locations. Republican Commissioner Manny Ramirez was absent, so the vote was 2-2, Democrats for approval, Republicans against. When there’s a tie, the motion fails.
The meeting ended without any answer about what will happen next. Ludwig did not respond to a request for comment before this story’s publication.
KERA also asked the county spokesperson when commissioners must approve the list of early voting sites.
Commissioners did approve the list of Election Day voting locations, 3-1, with O’Hare against. He raised concerns that some commissioners’ precincts had more polling locations than others.
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